Czech glass beads are pressed-glass beads made in the Czech Republic, the source for high-quality glass beads and products since the 13th Century. The countryside of the Czech Republic (formerly North Bohemia) is plentiful with the natural resources needed to make glass.

From the beginning, the Czech glass industry was comprised of small, generations-old family businesses run by skilled tradesmen. It wasn't until the 20th Century that Communist rule nearly ended the industry, then forced it to be a factory-run trade.

Click on pic to browse our selection of Czech Glass Beads

Unique to the Czech glass bead industry is the way it was sold around the world. Representatives of the factories would travel to all sorts of countries to learn what colors or styles of beads people desired. They then went back to the Czech Republic and ordered beads made to the specific standards.

Czech glass beads are made from glass melted and poured into molds. Each mold even includes the metal piece that makes the hole in each bead. Because molds can be made in nearly every shape and size, you see that in the variety of shapes in Czech glass beads.

Fire polished beads are made in molds, then faceted by machine. The beads are then placed in hot ovens or over open flames in order to soften the facets and give the beads a more polished look.

No matter the shape or size, we hope you'll enjoy the beautiful colors and fun shapes of Czech glass!